LoriAnne+Frieri

__**Instructing the Gifted Learner in Accelerated and Differentiated Classrooms **__

Students that exhibit talent and highly developed skills in the secondary education classroom need to have quality, appropriately challenging content presented in a way that deepens and enriches their educational experience. In one way of designing services to meet those needs, the school identifies those students who need a separate setting where the teacher is solely focused on accelerating the content of the subject matter. In the second more cost effective method, the high ability student remains in a mixed ability classroom where the enrichment component is subject to the teacher’s knowledge and interest in differentiating instruction to meet the student’s needs.

For the gifted learner, their educational experience is inconsistent as it varies by teacher commitment throughout each classroom, each discipline and each year of school. What are the characteristics of quality curriculum for high ability students? To what extent can the two major service delivery models (acceleration and differentiation) be used in the secondary classroom to reflect best practice in meeting the needs of high ability learners? Given that these are the two settings most available to high school teachers, the proposed research study considers how the theory of acceleration and differentiated instruction expresses itself in the classroom and in daily practice by teachers who believe that they are these implementing strategies.

As you review the file attached below, please provide feedback that may assist in further developing this proposal. Also, consider your own experiences as an educator and the difficulty in meeting the needs of all learners in the classroom. Can accelerated and differentiated instruction provide enough support to high ability learners? .